Seanna Sharpe, Aerialist, Arrested For Stunt on Williamsburg Bridge

At around 7 p.m. on Monday night, the Brooklyn aerialist Seanna Sharpe, along with her magician friend Savage Skinner, scaled about 300 feet on a tower of the Williamsburg Bridge and began performing on a 90-foot silk rope without a harness. A crowd of about 100 gathered, the Wall Street Journal reports, but after about 30 minutes, the NYPD showed up and arrested both artists. But not before something of a police chase!

Sharpe and Skinner saw the cops waiting for them on the bridge's north side bike path, so they went south, climbed down and ran towards Manhattan, but an NYPD car cut them off, while a helicopter kept them from climbing back up the bridge. The pair will likely be charged with trespassing, reckless endangerment and obstructing government administration.

"My goal is to face my fear and to inspire others to face their fears," Sharpe said before she climbed up.

Her personal website says she "fell in love with flight after an early affaire with Peter Pan," and that she specializes in "climbing, flying, and falling -- in style." Sharpe previously set up a Kickstarter page for a show called "Narcissa Starving: An Immersive Aerial Experience," but funding failed. The Williamsburg show, meanwhile, was free, as teased on Circus NYC as "Risk Life For Flight," except for bail, of course.

NY Buff has photos of last night's graceful madness.

And here's a video of Sharpe rehearsing, for a little taste:
Update: Below is video of Sharpe and Skinner on their way down last night.[jcoscarelli@villagevoice.com / @joecoscarelli]